Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tree harvesting machines which utilize rotating cutter blades to cut the trees during the harvesting operation. More particularly, the invention relates to a balancing skid for mounting on the undercarriage of a tree harvesting machine and balancing the cutting wheel, cutter blades and cutting assembly in a horizontal plane to help prevent warping or bending of the saw blade and chipping or breaking of the saw teeth during the tree-cutting operation. The balancing skid includes an upward-projecting plate skid extending from a substantially horizontal plate base for bouncing over stumps, limbs and other obstacles and, in cooperation with an existing conventional blade skid mounted on the undercarriage of the tree harvesting machine, serves to maintain the cutting wheel and cutter blades in a substantially horizontal orientation to facilitate cleaner and more efficient cutting of the trees during harvesting.
One of the problems which exists in tree harvesting machines fitted with rotating cutting wheels and cutter blades, is that of maintaining the cutting wheel and cutter blades in a substantially horizontal orientation when the cutting wheel and cutter blades cut a tree harvested by the machine. The machine is customarily fitted with a conventional blade skid which is welded or otherwise mounted on the undercarriage of the tree harvesting machine for the purpose of protecting the cutter blades and cutting wheels from stumps, limbs, rocks and other obstacles in the path of the tree harvesting machine. However, the conventional blade skid is usually mounted across the diameter of the cutting assembly, which includes the cutting wheel and cutter blades in the tree harvesting machine. This lack of symmetry, support and balance in the cutting assembly sometimes causes the cutting wheel and cutter blades to engage a tree in angular relationship, which applies warping or bending pressure to the cutting wheel and may also damage the cutter blades. The imbalance in the cutting wheel and cutter blades results from contact of the single, elongated, rather narrow conventional blade skid with the uneven ground or a limb, rock or log as the cutting assembly is lowered to cut a tree, thus tilting the cutting wheel and cutter blades from the horizontal during cutting of the tree. Since the cutting wheel and cutter blades are expensive and a significant amount of time is required to replace one or more of these elements, it is significant from an operational standpoint to maintain both the cutting wheel and the cutter blades in good condition.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved balancing skid for tree harvesting machines, which balancing skid is mounted on the opposite side of the cutting assembly from the existing blade skid, to balance and horizontally stabilize the cutting assembly and facilitate substantially horizontal cutting of trees harvested by the machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved balancing skid for mounting on the undercarriage of a tree harvesting machine in spaced relationship with respect to the conventional blade skid and adjacent to the cutting wheel for balancing and stabilizing the cutting assembly, including the cutting wheel and cutter blades, substantially in a horizontal plane and cutting trees with minimal blade binding and warp and reduced cutter blade damage during the cutting operation.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved balancing skid for mounting on a tree harvesting machine adjacent to the cutting wheel and cutter blades and opposite the existing blade skid, which balancing skid includes a flat blade base, a plate skid extending upwardly from the blade base in angular relationship and connecting elements mounting the blade base and plate skid to the machine undercarriage, which balancing skid cooperates with the existing blade skid to protect the cutting wheel and cutter blades, and balance and stabilize the cutting wheel and cutter blades and facilitates substantially horizontal cutting of the trees during harvesting.